Chuwon stood up and spoke sharply to the director."Because of your irresponsibility, a company trainee got hurt. And as if that wasn't enough, you tried to blame someone without even learning the truth."
The director clearly hadn't expected such a reaction."You're right… I'm sorry."
Chuwon turned back to her. "Can you walk?"
"Yes."
"Let's go."
Chuwon walked ahead, and she followed him toward the cafeteria.
"Take a seat. I'll get us something to drink. What do you want?"
"There's no need, sunbae-nim. I can get it."
"I said I'll get it. Just tell me what you want."
"…Then, iced coffee."
She sat by the window. Jess and a few other trainees were in the cafeteria as well, whispering among themselves while glancing her way.
Chuwon came back with two cans of iced coffee and sat across from her. He didn't say anything. He just looked at her—and it was incredibly uncomfortable.
"Sunbae-nim, what you did earlier was really cool. Thank you for protecting me. But… I'd like to ask you to be a bit more distant with me—whether people are around or not."
"What's bothering you?"
"Lots of things. If you look behind you, you'll see how the other trainees are staring at us. I don't want there to be any misunderstandings."
"Why do you care so much about what others think or say?"
She had already been through so much in such a short time. All the traumas she had tried to bury were now resurfacing, one by one. If this kept up, she wouldn't be able to stay quiet much longer.
"There are things about me you don't know… things you probably wouldn't understand."
"Everyone's life is different than it seems. Once the training process starts getting streamed online, people will say a lot about you—good and bad. I get so many hate messages. Strangers telling me I should die. What did I ever do to them? I used to think about that constantly when I debuted. And then there was a group who kept comparing me to Jackie. Saying I should quit, that I'd never be as good as him."
His face twisted slightly as he mentioned Jackie.
"If you don't care about the comments, how do you know what they say?"
He looked like a child caught doing something wrong. She burst out laughing.
"I don't read the hate comments on purpose, but sometimes while checking my fan messages, some of them sneak in. Still, I live how I want. If I give up, they win. If I keep going and do better, they lose. So here's my advice—try to make yourself happy, not them. Talking to you makes me happy. But I have to go back to the shoot."
She was still trying to figure out whether Chuwon was a good person or not. When they first met, he was really rude. But since then, he had stood by her in so many difficult moments. He was a good friend. Still, she had promised herself she would keep a low profile until she solved Jackie's problem.
As she tried to finish her coffee, she watched the outside world through the window. One of the trainees had approached her, but she didn't notice until the girl spoke.
"Hi, I'm Shin. And you are?"
"Aera."
"Perfect. Aera, we're throwing a pajama party tonight to help the girls bond. We want you to come too."
That kind of thing really wasn't her scene.
"I don't think I'll be able to. I was planning to sleep early. But thanks for the invite."
"Everyone's coming! Please come too—it's going to be really fun, I promise!"
She ended up saying yes just to make her stop talking. She figured she'd sit with them for half an hour and then sneak back to her room. Honestly, being around people who had clearly been gossiping about her was hard enough—there was no way she could ever be friends with them.
That night, Shin actually came to her room to make sure she was coming. It was absurd, but at least Jackie came with her. She and Jess ignored each other, and occasionally some of the other girls asked her questions about Chuwon. That was it.
She tried to leave a few times, but they kept stopping her. As the night went on, they turned off the lights and lit candles. If Jackie hadn't been there, she might've completely lost it.
Then Shin started talking. "Has anyone heard about the dormitory ghost?"
A few girls said yes. She, on the other hand, felt incredibly uneasy.
"They say a long time ago, a trainee hanged herself in one of these rooms. She worked constantly, trying to debut, but no matter what she did, the trainers never saw her as good enough. She spent the best years of her youth here, only to be dismissed because of her age. Unable to accept failure, she ended her life. Since then, trainees say they've seen her wandering the halls and rooms."
She looked at Jackie in fear.
"There's nothing to be scared of," he whispered. "It's a made-up story. I was one of the first trainees when this company was founded. I've been here ever since. If something like that had happened, I would've heard about it. And even if it were true, you wouldn't need to worry. I'm right here with you."
He was right. As long as Jackie was around, there was nothing to fear.
"By the way… they made up that story just to scare you."
"What? How do you know?"
"They were whispering earlier, so I listened in. They want to scare you and make fun of you. Don't react. They're watching you. Just sit tight and watch what happens next."
She waited eagerly to see what Jackie would do. Suddenly, the candles blew out, and the girls screamed. Jess turned on her phone flashlight.
"Can someone turn the lights on?"
Shin got up and hit the switch. The lights came on—but the girls screamed even louder, all staring at Shin. Her hair was floating in the air. The girls shrieked and ran from the room. Aera could barely keep from laughing. They had gone hunting—and ended up becoming the hunted, thanks to Jackie.
She was exhausted, but her night had been ruined by those idiots. When Jackie was done, he came over and walked her back to her room. She locked the door behind them so no one could barge in.
She threw herself onto the bed, completely drained. Jackie laid down beside her.
"These girls are actual demons."
"They even set up a hidden camera. They were planning to post your freakout online to mock you. I was wondering why they were so fixated on you, but now I get it—it's because of Chuwon. They think he got you into the company through favoritism. They were even talking about seeing you two in the cafeteria today."
"Oh… yeah, there was an accident earlier, and sunbae-nim helped me. We just sat in the cafeteria after."
Jackie's brows furrowed."What accident?"
"After you left, I got bored and wandered around the building. I stumbled into a studio where they were filming a music video. I got curious and went in. Something happened—I tripped and accidentally caused one of the dancers to fall too. Sunbae-nim helped me."
Hearing that, Jackie immediately checked her arms and shoulders in panic."Does anything hurt? Did you fall badly? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm fine, really. It wasn't serious."
But Jackie looked furious."If it's Chuwon sunbae-nim that bothers you, I already talked to him about it today. I asked him to keep some distance."
"That's not it. I mean, yeah, he's part of it—but the real issue is you."
"Me? What do you mean?"
"You keep going through one awful thing after another. And all because people are jealous. What if I hadn't been there? What if things had gone according to their plan?
You try to act strong so you don't give up. But there's one thing that's always been true in both your lives—you have a sensitive heart. I know this is all hurting you. And I know that you're enduring it all because of me. My presence brings you pain."
"I won't deny it hurts—especially the way people treat me. But it hurts this much because I spent so many years hiding away. Now, even if someone says something small, it cuts deep. But I need to face it. I need to be strong, or I'll spend my whole life living in fear. You don't bring me pain—you give me strength. If it weren't for you, I'd still be in that tiny room at home. You're the light in my dark life, Jackie. Without you, I'd never find my way."
"By the way… were you able to find anything out?"
"She was at your house, but she looked sick from a distance. I tried to get closer, but if she senses me, she might run."
"If she's too sick to leave the house, she won't come to the company. What do we do then? We need a new plan."
"No, we don't. She has to come. She's got commercial contracts. If she doesn't show up for those shoots, she'll be in serious trouble. And if she wants to keep living in my body, she can't draw attention. So she'll show up."
"There's one more thing I wanted to ask you last time, but I was too mad to bring it up. Can I ask now?"
"I'm listening."
"You said when Arin touched the dark spirit with her blood, it burned. If I'm the same person as Arin, wouldn't my blood work the same way? What if I made you drink it—wouldn't the spirit be destroyed?"
"You want me to drink your blood? Aera, am I a vampire to you?"
"But if just touching it burns, wouldn't drinking it completely erase it?"
"That's… complicated. And honestly, I don't know the answer."
"Then ask your brother later."
She was too sleepy to stay awake any longer. She snuggled up to Jackie and fell asleep the moment she closed her eyes.
Hazırsan bir sonraki sahneye geçebiliriz.
Şunu dedin:İlk ders danstı ve ben uyuya kalmıştım. Uyandığımda Jackie yanımda yoktu, onu bulunca bunun hesabını soracaktım. Apar topar eşyalarımı toplayıp dans sınıfına koştum. Diğer kızlar ısınma hareketlerini yapıp sohbet ediyorlardı ve tamamen ben yokmuşum gibi davranıyorlardı. Güya kendi aralarında konuşuyorlardı ama konuştukları her şeyi duyuyordum. "Yeni kız da burada" "Daha önce hiç eğitim almamış biri ile bizi nasıl aynı sınıfa koyarlar?" "Duyduğuma göre torpille gelmiş." "Kimin torpili ki?" "Belli değil mi Chuwon sunbaenim ona torpil kullanmış" "Vay be işler artık böyle yürüyor galiba" "Online oylarda torpil dönmüyor neyse ki final grubuna çıkamayacak" "Sen bu konuda ne düşünüyorsun Jess?" "Benim olduğum bir yarışmada hiçbir şansı yok." "Onu rakip olarak görmüyorsan neden sinirli duruyorsun" "Şirketin gözdesiydi ama Bayan Park geldiğinden beri Aera ile çok ilgileniyor, sanırım onu kıskandı" Jess sinirlenmişti. "Ben hala şirketin gözdesiyim ve kimse beni yerimden edemez ama sizin yerinizde olsam endişelenirdim hala çok fazla eksikleriniz var" Bunlar konuşulurken ben kesinlikle orada değildim, hiçbir şey de duymadım zaten. Gürültülü bir ses çıkardıktan sonra "Herkese günaydın" dedim ve en uzak köşeye doğru yürüdüm. Böyle tuhaf insanlarla aramda ne kadar mesafe olursa benim için o kadar iyiydi. Az önce dedikodumu yapan stajyerler yanıma doğru geldiler. "Hey çaylak, Chuwon ile aranda nasıl bir ilişki var?" Ne sanıyorlardı kendilerini buranın mafyası mı? Böyle gerizekalı bir soruya tabi ki cevap vermeyecektim. "Senin kıdemlilerin olduğumuza göre bize saygısızlık yapamazsın. Sana bir şey sorduysak buna cevap vermek zorundasın." "Kıdemli olmanız umurumda bile değil. Birine saygı duymam için öncelikle o saygıyı hak etmesi gerekiyor. Size şöyle bir bakıyorum da sanırım mümkün değil." Kendisini çete sözcüsü ilan eden kısa siyah saçlı kız sözüme sanırım alınmıştı. "Chuwon sunbaenim'e güveniyorsun ama dikkat et buradan ağlayarak gideceksin." Eski Aera olsa ağlayarak köşesine sinerdi belki ama ben eskisi gibi değildim. Biraz aptallardı galiba ve bu yüzden istemsizce gülmeye başladım. Bu hareketim tabi ki onları daha da kızdırmıştı. "Sen bizimle dalga mı geçiyorsun? Komik olan ne?" "Komik olan sizsiniz. Bizim tüm eğitimlerimiz canlı yayınlanacaktı. Kameraya el sallayın" Sınıfın tepesinde bir kamera vardı ve yanıma geldikleri andan itibaren yayın ışığı yeşildi. Kamerayı görür görmez üçünün de rengi attı ve hızla yanımdan uzaklaştılar. Kısa bir süre sonra dans eğitmeni içeri girdi. "Herkese günaydın. İlk olarak esneme hareketleri ile başlayacağız" Isınma hareketlerinden sonra dans hocası tek tek hareketleri göstermeye başladı. "3'ten geriye saymaya başladıktan sonra gösterdiğim hareketleri siz yapacaksınız." Herkes senkronize bir şekilde hareketleri yaparken, kendimi hava boşluğu ile güreşiyor gibi hissediyordum. Sadece bir defa gördükleri bu hareketleri nasıl ezberlemişlerdi. 1 saat boyunca eğitim bu şekilde devam etti ve ben de sürekli hata yapmaya devam ettim. Ders bittikten sonra herkes sınıftan çıkarken dans eğitmeni bana seslendi. "Aera sen kal lütfen" Benimle konuşmadan önce herkesin çıkmasını bekledi. "Eminim diğer stajyerlerle arandaki farkı görmüşsündür. Onlar uzun zamandır eğitim alıyorlar ama sanırım senin daha önce böyle bir eğitimin olmadı." "Evet olmadı" "Hemen moralin bozulmasın, onlara yetişmen için sadece daha fazla çalışman gerekiyor. Boş vakitlerinde muhakkak pratik yapmayı unutma. Bu arada vücudunu daha fazla esnetmen gerekiyor, ikimize de uygun bir gün ve saat belirleyelim ve esnemeyi çalışalım olur mu?" "Tamam efendim uyarılarınızı dikkate alacağım." 3.tekil ing
ChatGPT:
İşte sahnenin İngilizce'ye 3. tekil şahıs anlatımıyla, üslubuna sadık şekilde çevrilmiş hâli:
The first class of the day was dance, and she had overslept.When she woke up, Jackie was nowhere to be found. She made a mental note to give him a piece of her mind as soon as she saw him.In a rush, she grabbed her things and ran to the dance studio.The other girls were already warming up and chatting amongst themselves—acting like she didn't even exist.They were pretending to talk privately, but she could hear every single word.
"The new girl's here."
"How could they put someone with no prior training in the same class as us?"
"I heard she got in through connections."
"Whose connections?"
"Isn't it obvious? Chuwon sunbaenim must've pulled some strings."
"Wow, I guess that's how things work around here now."
"Good thing there's no favoritism in the online votes—she won't make it to the final group anyway."
"What do you think, Jess?"
"She doesn't stand a chance in any competition I'm part of."
"If you don't see her as a threat, why do you look so angry?"
"She was the company's favorite, but ever since Miss Park arrived, she's been paying a lot of attention to Aera. I think she's jealous."
Jess snapped."I'm still the company's star, and no one can take that from me. If I were you girls, I'd be worried—because you still have a lot of catching up to do."
Throughout all this, she absolutely wasn't there. She definitely didn't hear a thing.After making a loud noise on purpose, she said cheerfully,"Good morning, everyone,"and walked to the farthest corner of the room.The more distance she had from people like that, the better.
The same trainees who had just been gossiping about her came walking toward her.
"Hey, rookie, what's going on between you and Chuwon?"
What did they think they were—the mafia of this place?She wasn't going to answer such a ridiculous question.
"We're your seniors, you know. You can't be disrespectful. If we ask something, you have to answer."
"I couldn't care less if you're my seniors. To earn my respect, you have to deserve it. And from what I can see… that's not going to happen."
The short-haired girl who had apparently appointed herself the group's spokesperson seemed offended."You trust Chuwon sunbaenim, but be careful. You'll leave here crying."
The old Aera might have cried and curled up in a corner.But she wasn't that girl anymore.They really were kind of dumb—and that made her laugh without meaning to.
"Are you making fun of us? What's so funny?"
"You are.""All of our training sessions are streamed live, remember? Say hi to the camera."
There was a camera mounted on the ceiling.And ever since they had walked up to her, the little light on it had been green.The moment they saw it, all three of them turned pale and scattered like bugs.
A short while later, the dance instructor walked in.
"Good morning, everyone.We'll begin with some stretching."
After warm-ups, the teacher began demonstrating the choreography step by step.
"Once I count down from three, I want you to perform the movements I just showed."
While everyone else moved in perfect sync, she felt like she was wrestling with empty air.How had they memorized everything after seeing it only once?The training continued like this for an hour, and she kept making mistake after mistake.
After class, while everyone else was leaving, the instructor called out to her.
"Aera, stay behind for a moment."
He waited until the others had left before speaking.
"I'm sure you noticed the gap between you and the others.They've been training for a long time—but I take it this is your first time doing something like this?"
"Yes, it is."
"Don't let it get you down. You just need to work harder to catch up.Make sure you practice whenever you have free time.Also, your body needs more flexibility. Let's schedule a time that works for both of us so we can work on that together. Sound good?"
"Yes, sir. I'll take your advice seriously."
Aera was feeling disheartened, but deep down, she knew the instructor was right. Everyone else moved flawlessly while she struggled to keep up, burdened by the glaring gaps in her training.
After saying goodbye, she exited the room. Coming from a sedentary lifestyle, the rigorous training was exhausting. That afternoon, she had a vocal lesson, but before that, she wanted to keep practicing dance. She found an empty studio and began rehearsing. Time passed unnoticed.
"You've been dancing this whole time?"
Jackie's voice made her jump.
"Where were you? Why did you disappear without telling me?"
"Calm down. I went home to check if I was still sick. I didn't want to wake you up. Don't you have class soon?"
Aera glanced at the time—only 15 minutes left. She quickly gathered her things and headed to class, choosing once again a seat far from everyone else. This time, the others were minding their own business. Maybe the live stream kept them quiet.
Compared to the dance class, the vocal lesson went much better. Her memory wasn't perfect, but luckily they had sheet music, which allowed her to follow the lyrics and notes. When it finally ended, she felt like she could breathe. After high school, she had grown too accustomed to comfort, and now the constant discipline was draining. But what hurt most was the bullying—again.
At dinner, the other girls sat in groups, chatting and laughing. As expected, she sat alone, watching dance videos on her phone. She refused to let these girls, who constantly pointed out her flaws, be proven right.
Jackie sat next to her. Technically, she wasn't alone. But they didn't talk—couldn't talk, not when others were around. It always felt like everyone was watching. To avoid drawing attention, they avoided speaking even in whispers. Even pretending to talk on the phone with earbuds would eventually seem suspicious.
After dinner, Aera went to her room. She was completely drained and wanted nothing more than to sleep.
...
"Aera, wake up. You're going to be late again."
Her entire body ached with exhaustion. Her eyes stung each time she tried to open them.
"Five more minutes."
"You don't have five minutes. Get up."
Groaning, she opened her eyes. There was only a vocal class today. She could come back and sleep afterwards.
Waking up unrested always made her feel sick—and this was no exception.
After washing her face with cold water and brushing her teeth, she started to feel a bit better.
...
In the vocal class, she wondered which song they'd work on today, but the instructor had a different announcement.
"Next week, we'll be holding a jury showcase. Each of you will perform one song. Let me know later today which song you'd like to perform. Now let's continue with class."
So soon? A swirl of panic and excitement overtook her. What song would she choose? Her mind jumped from one idea to another until—finally—she thought of the perfect one. A deeply personal song.
After class, she rushed to tell the instructor.
"That's a difficult and risky choice—your own original song? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely."
"Great. Then good luck with your preparations."
"Thank you."
She wanted to give it her all. Nepotism? Ha! She would show everyone who the real Aera was. And she was excited.
She needed to create a new choreography for the song, though, and she admitted she was still inexperienced in that area.
She began watching countless dance videos, saving the parts she liked. Once she finished, she started thinking about how to combine those clips. That, however, was proving to be the hardest part.
Hours passed, and she still hadn't found a satisfying solution.
"Still working on choreography? If you tell me your song, I can help you."
"I already know you can help—but then it would become your work. I want it to be mine."
She had just one week. Two days to choreograph, five to rehearse. And still, her mind was a blank.
She put on her headphones and replayed the song, closing her eyes, letting herself feel it.
Jackie's face appeared in her mind—but this time, it felt different. They were under a tree, together…
She could feel Arin's emotions, hear her thoughts. They were the same person, yet not.
She was sad—because she knew she was going to die. As she looked at Jackie, only one thought lingered:
"Will we ever share a day like this again?"
Her eyes flew open in a panic. Her hands went to her face—why was she crying?
This… this was a memory. And it hurt.
She remembered everything.
Why was it all coming back now?
She thought again.
They were sitting under the tree, and street musicians could be heard in the distance.
"I wish I could hear them up close."
"I can take you there. No one will notice we're gone."
"Can we really do that?"
He held her hand, and before she could blink, they were in a different place.
The street musicians performed nearby, mesmerizing her. The dancers and musicians were perfectly in sync…
Memories flashed through her mind like a movie reel—most of them painful and lonely. Her tears flowed uncontrollably. She didn't want Jackie to see her like this, so she ran to the bathroom and turned on the faucet.
She cried until someone knocked.
"Aera, are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm coming out."
Jackie couldn't find out she remembered. There were things he must never know—things he couldn't handle.
...
"You were crying, weren't you?"
"No."
"Aera, I can tell. Why are you hiding it? Did someone upset you again?"
"No, no one said anything. I just feel a bit overwhelmed."
"Don't push yourself too hard. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask me."
"If I ask for help, those girls will be right. I want to do everything through my own effort. I'm really tired after these past two days. I just want to sleep early tonight. Can I fall asleep in your arms?"
Smiling, he lay down beside her.
"My big baby… these arms are always yours. You don't even need to ask."
But Aera didn't know how to tell him that she remembered. She couldn't tell him his brother gave her the dagger that killed her.
She had known her fate from the start. Before the Emperor brought her to the palace, she lived with her mother. At nine years old, her mother explained her destiny every day.
"Arin, you are special—the strongest in our bloodline. That strength puts you at the center of danger. Never use your powers. If the leader of the dark spirits learns of your existence, it will bring ruin to all realms. Dark spirits can't possess bodies without human help, but people… people can't be trusted. Their greed fuels evil. If the worst happens, you must take your own life."
And the worst did happen. The Emperor had her mother killed and took Arin hostage. Her soul was so powerful that the spirits couldn't possess her, but the Emperor had found another way. One spirit, cunning and deceptive, promised him divine power—if he married Arin and offered her as a sacrifice on their wedding night.
But the spirit's real plan was to possess her, kill the Emperor, and become Empress. Arin had to stop that. She knew her time had come. She had to say goodbye to Jackie—then known as Sang Hoon.
She hoped saying she'd marry the Emperor would make Jackie walk away, but he didn't. He disappeared, then returned again.
One day, Jackie's older brother JiHoo came to her secretly and handed her a special dagger.
"My brother is suffering, but he'll learn to let go. I know what you're trying to do."
"How could you know?"
"I helped your mother escape. I know who you are. This dagger was forged with a rare stone. If mixed with your blood, it becomes deadly to dark spirits. It's the only help I can offer. I'm sorry."
Arin was sorry too. She only ever wanted a peaceful life with the one she loved—but life had been cruel.
The memories were excruciating. She was already struggling with her own issues—and now, she carried the weight of two lives.
She held Jackie tighter. At least he was here. And this time, no matter what, she would save him.